News
Posted Saturday, October 19, 2024 at 9:06pm
Rarely has a return to the top of the millennium seen so appealing. Or so achievable. There was much debate and much expectation that Thursday’s virtual meeting of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council could bring news of hybrid being dropped from next year’s World Rally Championship. That story, we’re told, is still being written. Watch this space. But instead of some potentially divisive news about tomorrow, the governing body delivered some excellent news for… Read More →
Posted Friday, October 18, 2024 at 9:03pm
The next-generation hybrid is equipped with a newly developed 2.5-liter horizontally-opposed engine and transaxle. It adopts a series-parallel system that efficiently uses either the engine or motor as the power source depending on the situation. The engine’s generous dynamic performance and smooth acceleration further enhance driving enjoyment. Subaru’s Symmetrical AWD delivers reliable driving and offroad performance thanks to precise control of the mechanically coupled front and rear wheels through the propeller shaft. Moreover, the compact… Read More →
Posted Friday, October 18, 2024 at 9:00pm
Subaru did reveal some, but not all, of the specifics of the hybrid powertrain. Interestingly, unlike Toyota—with which Subaru shares some technology and builds cars with, and which owns 20 percent of the smaller automaker—the Subaru system will retain its H-4 engine configuration and a physical (i.e., driveshaft) connection to the rear axle instead of an e-AWD system. The engine will be larger than previous hybrid systems, using the 2.5-liter displacement version. The gasoline tank… Read More →
Posted Monday, October 14, 2024 at 8:56pm
When the latest Subaru WRX debuted a few years back, it was immediately the subject of controversy, and not only because of its plastic body cladding. Folks were annoyed that Subaru made the odd decision to lock performance bits like drive modes and Recaro seats into the top-trim WRX GT… which was only available with a CVT. Yuck. Well, a few years later Subuaru seems to have righted this wrong with the manual-equipped WRX tS.… Read More →
Posted Monday, October 14, 2024 at 8:51pm
Travis Pastrana rounded out his 2024 ARA campaign in the best possible fashion, clinching a hat-trick of American wins aboard his Subaru WRX. There was, however, a subplot at the season-closing Lake Superior Performance Rally. Way out west, near the town of Virgin, Utah, this year’s American champion was also winning. Having clinched this year’s ARA crown (his third straight), Brandon Semenuk took the weekend off to contest Red Bull Rampage – the world’s wildest… Read More →
Posted Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 8:49pm
Lia Block’s Subaru debut in ARA came to an early end Saturday after the 18-year-old driver retired from the race after a crash in stage 10, the first stage of the second day. Block was tapped to fill in for Subaru’s Brandon Semenuk in the Lake Superior Performance Rally, the final ARA rally of the 2024 season; Semenuk locked up the 2024 ARA championship before the final rally of the season. This gave the duo… Read More →
Posted Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 8:47pm
Michigan in the fall. Lia Block gets it. It’s surreal. The Singapore Grand Prix and a Formula 4 car suddenly feel a very long way away. She’s come home. Home to rallying. Home to Subaru. Expectation has been building about Lia’s debut aboard a factory Subaru WRX since the announcement that she’d take Brandon Semenuk’s car for this week’s Lake Superior Performance Rally, the final ARA round of the season. This is Tuesday, pre-event test… Read More →
Posted Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 8:45pm
The Velocity Invitational at Sonoma Raceway saw the American debut of Subaru Motorsports USA’s “Project Midnight,” the fastest WRX ever. This vehicle clinched first place in both the Global Time Attack and Hill Climb events. Initially unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, Project Midnight achieved the quickest Shootout time for an internal combustion engine vehicle, narrowly missing the overall Shootout title with a second-place finish. Read more at: https://www.drivespark.com/four-wheelers/2024/project-midnight-us-debut-velocity-invitational-011-59113.html Read More →
Posted Wednesday, October 9, 2024 at 8:37pm
Stopping at a petrol station in the middle of nowhere – miles from civilisation or the nearest highway – might seem like the perfect night out for slasher film buffs eager to channel the energy of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. However, for most of us, the only reason for such a detour would be if the petrol station sold 99RON fuel. But this is Japan, where high-octane petrol is as ubiquitous as sushi and available… Read More →
Posted Wednesday, October 9, 2024 at 8:35pm
In regard to the new car market, enthusiasts are living through some tough times. Shifting one’s own gears with clutch assistance has become a bit of a rarity, manufacturers are favoring uninspiring all-wheel drive over honest-to-goodness rear-wheel drive, and curb weights just keep on climbing. As far as simple, fun-to-drive sports car fare, there are fewer options than ever. Read More →
